The global
heparin market is foreseen to welcome auspicious prospects in the close future
on account of a higher demand for synthetic products vis-à-vis naturally-derived
products. The death of Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami in July 2016 due to
alleged overdose of heparin causing a massive brain hemorrhage still rings in
the minds of people around the world. Scientists are expected to focus on the
development of synthetic heparin products, owing to their cheaper and safer
characteristics. Naturally-derived heparin products, on the flip side, could
cause major side effects if overdosed.

Manufacturers
are prognosticated to be advantaged by an enhanced scope for the expansion of
their product portfolio as a result of the emergence of biosimilars, even
though decreasing imports from China could be a significant growth bottleneck. Leading
market research company, Transparency Market Research (TMR) expects the global
heparin market to rake in a US$14.3 bn by 2023 while rising at a CAGR of 6.3% during
the forecast period 2015–2023.

LMWH or ULMWH? Which Anticoagulant will Fare Better
in Future?

The world
heparin market could rely severely on low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) for
its growth. LMWH is anticipated to collect a revenue of US$12.3 bn by the concluding
forecast year, only a US$2.0 bn less than the total projected revenue of the world
heparin market. In comparison with unfractionated heparin, LMWH could offer proven
benefits, consequently attracting a telling demand in the world heparin market.
In arterial and venous thrombosis treatments, LMWH is considered as a typical
care drug choice. The sale of LMWH could be fortified in the forthcoming years in
view of its relatively fewer side effects.

However, it
should be noted that the choice of drugs primarily depends on the patient’s
medical condition and type of disease treated for. While there is a whole lot
of hype around LMWH, ultra-low-molecular-weight heparin (ULMWH) is envisaged to
gradually draw demand in the world heparin market. This could be due to the
increasing engagement of ULMWH anticoagulants as an alternative to unfractionated
heparin in dialysis.

With almost a 900,000
people suffering from deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE)
annually in the U.S., according to the Centers of Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), North America is foretold to record a stunning growth in the international
heparin market. Moreover, the U.S. could witness a significant influx of
medical tourists preferring its refined healthcare infrastructure. The demand
in North America could be fueled by the augmenting count of surgeries performed
in the U.S.

Although
Europe is prophesied to take the second leading position in the international
heparin market, Asia Pacific could showcase a faster growth because of an
almost doubled occurrence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in India over the
last decade. The surging incidence of coagulation disorders is envisioned to be
critically gainful for the growth of the overall heparin market.